hedbayni



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

A. HEDBAVNY. MAGHINE FOR REMOVING WATER HAIRS PROM PELTS. N0. 502

Patented Aug. 1, 1893.

INVENTOI? WITNESSES:

ATTORNEY.

(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

' A. HEDBAVN Y. MACHINE FOR REMOVING WATER HAIRS PROM PELTS.

Patented Aug. 1, 1893.

INVENTOR WITNESSES: 6% M UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ANTON HEDBAVNY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR TO LOUIS WERNER, OF SAMEPLACE.

MACHINE FOR REMOVING WATER-HAIRS FROM PELTS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 502,359, dated August1, 1893.

Application filed March 2'7, 1890. Renewed January 17, 1893- Serial No.458,736. (No model.)

.To Ml whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ANTON HEDBAVNY, a citizen of the. United States,residing at New York city, in the county and State of New York, haveinvented new and useful Improvements in Machines for Removing Water-Hairs from Pelts, of which the following is a description.

This invention relates to improvements in machines for removingwater-hairs from pelts of the class illustrated in Letters Patent No.408,879, granted to me August 13, 1889; such machines includingmechanism comprising a knife-edged bar, means for intermittently feedingthe pelt over said knife-edged bar, a serrated guard comb at one side ofsaid bar, a rotary brush at the other side of the same, saidbrushserving to force the wool or soft fur in a downward direction away fromthe knife-edged bar and leave the stiff waterhairs standing thereon, andan incandescent metallic conductor suitably supported and having anoscillating movement to and from the knife-edged bar, whereby thewater-hairs are burned off and removed by the hot wire.

In my present invention, I employ the same elements in combination withthe following additional features of construction which consist, first,in an automatic tension device for the incandescent conductor, wherebythe expansion of the same when heated, is compensated for, and theconductor prevented from sagging and always maintained in properalignment and condition to operate upon all the water -hairs standingupon the knifeedged bar; and, secondly, in means whereby the brush isoscillated to and from the knifeedged bar, so that it will be out ofcontact with said bar when the incandescent metallic conductor is feddown to remove the waterhairs, all as hereinafter more fully described.

In the accompanying drawings: Figure 1, is a side elevation, partly inlongitudinal vertical section of my improved machine, showing the brushin its forward or brushing position, and the metallic conductor awayfrom and out of contact with the water-hairs. Fig. 2 is a similar viewwith the brush moved back and the metallic conductor in position toremove the water-hairs. Fig. 3, is a front view of the carrying platefor the metallic condoctor and the tension device; and Fig. 4, is an endview thereof.

Referring to the drawings, A represents the supporting frame of myimproved machine for removing water-hairs from pelts. The frame A,supports in suitable guides a a a knife-edged bar, B, over which thepelts to be treated are stretched, said knife-edged bar being verticallyadjustable in said guides at, a, and held in such adjustment as bysetscrews a, a, tapped in said guide. The pelts are preferably bastedonto a suitable apron or canvas, or other suitable fabric, and wound ona roller 1), from which the pelt is passed over the edge of the bar B,and then in downward direction between two feeding rolls, d, d, whichserve to move the pelt intermittently over the edge of the transversebar 13.

At one side of the knife-edged bar is ar- 1 ranged a pivoted guard plateor comb O, having a serrated edge, which is adjustable higher or lower,according to the position of the knifeedged bar, B, by means of setscrews, 6.

The guard comb, O, serves to restrain the soft hair or wool of thatportion of the pelt below the comb C, before the same passes over theedge of the transverse bar, B, as the pelt is fed forward after eachoperation of the metallic conductor. The guard comb, 0, however, doesnot restrain the stiff water-hairs, but permits them to spring throughand straighten up immediately as they pass the serrated edge of theblade, so as to project vertically in line with the axis of thetransverse bar, B, or nearly so, in upward direction. At the oppositeside of the knife-edged bar B, is arranged an oscillating rotary brush,D, which is preferably a solid bristle brush, said brush being rotatedat the desired speed in bearings of the supporting frame bya belt andpulley transmission from the driving shaft, S. This brush is held androtates in suitable bearings on lever-arms G, G, which depend from, andare adj ustably fastened to the shaft H, said shaft being journaled insuitable bearings on the frame A. To the shaft II, levers J, J, areattached, these levers carrying at their outer ends rolls, which are notshown but correspond in position with the rolls f hereinafter described,which rest upon and are in contact with cams, f f carried on the drivingshaft S, and these rolls are always kept in contact with the cams bysprings L, L, which extend from the levers J, J, to the frame. As thecams f f rotate, they operate the rolls K, to vibrate the levers J, J,and the levers G, G, carrying the brush, are thus caused to recede fromand approach to the knife-edged bar. This is a necessary and importantoperation of the machine, because the brush D must be away from and outof contact with the knife-edged bar, before the hot metallic conductorF, comes in contact with the water-hairs (see Fig. 2) to remove them. Ifthe brush should be retained in its brushing position '(Fig. 1) duringthe burning operation, it would be quickly destroyed by the hot wire. Asthe brush moves back to the position shown in Fig.2, thebelt, M, becomesslack, and to take up this slack and keep the belt taut,I employaheavyidler pulley, N, of common form attached to an arm, 0, pivoted to theframe.

The quick brushing action exerted by the brush D, on the pelt at theside of the knifeedged bar, brushes the soft wool or fur on that side ina downward direction, so that the water-hairsprpj ect upward and can beburned off by the metallic conductor F, which is supported transverselyabove the edge of the bar B, on a plate f, attached to oscillatinglevers f, which latter are fulcrumed to the supporting, frame A, and areconnected at their rear ends by suitable springs f with the frame A.

The metallic conductor F, is preferably a wire and is connected with thepoles of a dynamo, or other source of electricity, and kept by thecurrent from the same in an incandescent state. The levers f receive anintermittent oscillating motion by cams, f that engage anti-frictionrollers, f, at the rear ends of the levers f, so that the saidincandescent conductor is intermittently lowered and applied to thestiff projecting water-hairs of the pelt so as to burn the same,without, however, injuring the soft wool or fur, which is retained atone side of the bar B, by the guard comb O, and at the other side by thebrushing action of the rotary brush D. The cam f at one side of thedriving shaft S, is provided with an additional crank-disk g, connectedby a pivot-link g with an arm g pivoted to the shaft of a ratchet-wheelh, which is engaged by a spring actuated pawl h, pivoted to the arm 9 soas to be turned for a distance of one or two teeth at each ro tation ofthe crank-disk, g, on the drivingshaft S. To the shaft of theratchet-wheel is further keyed a bevel-wheel, 2, which meshes with apinion z", on a short longitudinal shaft 2", that turns in bearingsonthe frame A, and is provided with a worm 6 that engages with aworm-wheel '6 (part only of the teeth of which are shown) at the end ofthe shaft of the feed-roller d, so as to move intermittently at eachrotation of the driving-shaft S. The feed-rolls d, (1', press tightly onthe apron and pelts attached, so as to feed the same intermittentlyforward over the knife-edged bar. During the time when the pelt is atrest the metallic conductor is lowered so as to burn off the projectingwater-hairs, and at the same time the brushmoves back and away from theknife-edged bar. (See Fig; 2.) As soon as the burning off of thewater-hairs is accomplished, on the narrow strip of pelt above the edgeof the bar, the metallic conductor is moved upwardly away from the peltand the pelt is fed forward by its intermittently operated feedmechanism, so as to bring another strip of the pelt over the edge of thebar B, the hairs of which are burned off by the incandescent conductor,and so on. At each rotation of the driving shaft, a narrow strip of peltis thus fed over the knife-edged bar, and a new set of water-hairsburned off by the action of the incandescent conductor F, so thatfinally, when the entire pelt has been moved over the knife-edged bar,all projecting water-hairs of the same are burned off with out injury tothe soft wool or fur. The pelt is then removed from the machine, rubbedwith hot sand, and then carefully washed with water, so that the burnedhair and the smell of the same are removed, after which the pelts areready for dyeing and for use.

Part of the mechanism just described com prises those features of mymachine which are necessary to its operation but do not form part of mypresent invention, excepting as they are combined with the oscillatingbrush, and also with my improved tension device for the metallicconductor, WhichI will now proceed to describe.

Referring to Figs. 3 and 4 of the drawings, S, designates a metal platedovetailedinto a recess, Y, in one end of the plate f, and slidingfreelyin said recess. T, designates aprojection or lug, fast to theplate S, and T, designates a similar projection on the platef. Theprojection T, is preferably recessed to re ceive one end of a rod V, theother end of which projects through a perforation or aper ture in theprojection T, which, as stated, is fast to the plate f. A compressedspring U, is coiled or spirally wound around the rod V, having itsbearing at one end against the projection T, and at the other endagainst a collar T adj ustably fixed on the rod V, as by a set screw TThe incandescent wire or metallic conductor F, is suspended from setscrews Q by loops of metal to, and is rigidly fastened at each end tometal rods Q, Q. The set screws Q, are adjustablejn screw threadedinsulating blocks P, and the rods Q, Q are also adjustable in insulatingblocks P, P, by their set screws R. The blocks P, P, are fast to theplate f, and the block P, is fast to the sliding plate S. The action ofthis mechanism is as follows, viz: When a current of electricity is sentthrough the metallic conductor or Wire F, the wire is heated andexpands, and as it expands, the sliding plate S, is automatically pushedoutwardly by the compressed spring U, carrying with it the rod Q, thustaking up any slack or sag of the wire F, and keeping the wire at theproper tension and alignment. The importance of this will be obviouswhen it is understood that in a machine of this character, it isessentially necessary that the wire when heated and operated to removethe water-hairs, must be held taut and in substantially perfectalignment or parallelism above the knife-edged bar over which the sealor other skin is stretched so that when the heated wire is moveddownwardly to come in contact with the water-hairs standing upwardlyupon said bar, it will, at one operation, singe or remove all thewater-hairs standing up on said bar, without coming in contact with thesoft wool or fur. The set screws Q, and the supporting rods Q, and Q,are made adjustable as before described, so that the wire F, can be setat any desired distance above the pelt to be operated upon.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. The combination with means to support a body, such as a pelt, to besinged, of a metallic oonductoradapted to be rendered incandescent by anelectric current, supports for such conductor and means for adjustingsuch supports vertically; a tension device for automaticallycompensating for the expansion of said conductor, and means to bringsaid conductor into operative conjunction with the body to be treated,substantially as described.

2. The combination with means to support a body, such as a pelt, to besinged, of a metallic conductor adapted to be rendered incandescent byan electric current, a plate and a vibrating frame therefor, a supportfixed to one side of said frame and receiving one end of the conductor,a movable plate at the other side of such frame, a support for the otherend of the conductor secured to such plate, and means for automaticallyadjusting such plate and support correspondingly with the expansion ofthe conductor, substantially as described. p

3. The combination of an incandescent electric conductor, a knife-edgedbar over whieha body to be treated is stretched, means forintermittently moving said conductor toward and from said bar, a rotarybrush, and means for oscillating such brush, substantially as described.

4. The combination of a knife-edged bar, means for intermittentlyfeeding the body to be treated over said bar, a guard comb at one sideof said bar, a rotary brush at the other side of said bar, and means foroscillating said brush; an incandescent electric conductor arrangedabove said bar, and means for intermittently oscillating the saidconductor, substantially as described for the purpose set forth.

5. The combination of an incandescent electric conductor, a tensiondevice for automatically keeping said conductor taut, a knifeedged barover which the body to be treated is stretched, means for intermittentlymoving the said conductor toward and from the bar, a brush, means forrotating the same, and a vibrating or oscillating frame in which saidbrush is supported, substantially as described.

6. The combination of a knife-edged bar, means for intermittentlyfeeding a body to be treated over said bar, a guard comb at one side ofsaid bar, a'brush at the opposite side and means for oscillating saidbrush; an incandescent electric conductor arranged above said bar, meansfor intermittently oscillating said conductor, and a tension device forsaid conductor operating automatically by the ex pansion and contractionof the conductor, sub- Y stantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set

